


Happiness Like A Bullet

by AwayLaughing



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Awkward turtles, First Date, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Character Death, Single Dad AU, birthday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-12
Updated: 2013-07-12
Packaged: 2017-12-19 05:31:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/880000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwayLaughing/pseuds/AwayLaughing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Single father Cloud risks leaving his twins alone for a night in favour of a date with equally single father Squall. Hopefully it won't go too horribly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happiness Like A Bullet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dakt37](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=dakt37).



> This is a birthday fic for Dakt37! It is a sequel to the post linked below this sentence.
> 
> http://awayandlaughing.tumblr.com/post/55132117266/cloud-squall-single-dads-au

Cloud tugged at his blue button up nervously, pretending his five year olds weren't inspecting him with intensity of two tiny drill sergeants. This was, he knew, a bad idea. He hadn't been on a first date since he was twenty one, hadn't been on a date at all for at least six years. In truth, he barely recognized himself, pale and drawn and looking a little like twenty eight going on forty. If Aerith could see him she'd be teasing him gently, and probably telling him to untuck his shirt and put on a good belt. To his left, Roxas sighed.

“Daddy,” he said slowly, “you look funny.” Cloud winced.

“Thanks Rox,” he said, turning to look at the two best things in his life. Sora was staring at him in unabashed interest, but Roxas looked a little bored. “What exactly looks funny?”

“You put your shirt in your pants,” the five year old blond said blandly. “Only old people do that.”

Cloud considered, briefly, the fact he was getting fashion advice from a kid who paired purple plaid shorts with orange polka dot socks, but let it go. He was right, after all. Tugging his shirt tails from his slacks, and Gaia when was the last time he put slacks on, Cloud spread his arms in a silent question.

Sora jumped off the bed and wrapped his arms around his father's thigh in response. Cloud felt a smile tug at his lips and he ran a gentle hand through soft brown hair. “Thanks buds,” he said. “You'll be good for the babysitter, right?”

Cloud did not know this babysitter, Vanille her name was, but Tifa swore by her and Squall had mentioned that she had looked after Xion once or twice when Squall was unexpectedly called to work. She was downstairs right now, actually, having shown up while Cloud was still struggling with his tie. Now, tie done up properly and no longer looking 'funny', Cloud had no excuses to avoid downstairs and more importantly The Date.

Sora and Roxas rushed off ahead of him, calling Vanille's name as Cloud slowly trudged down the stairs after him. The slim, pink haired girl was waiting at the bottom, hands on her hips as she surveyed him. “You look very nice Mr. Strife, who's the lucky lady?” Cloud's face heated up ever so slightly, burning bright red when Sora corrected her.

“He's going out with Mr. Leonhart,” the boy said, and Vanille's smile turned into a look of shock, morphed into brief annoyance then turned into a giant grin.

“You'll be so cute!” she gushed, for lack of a better term, “I owe Fang twenty munny now though.” Cloud blinked.

“You...bet on my date?” it was disturbing, and in a way that suggested he needed more friendly a little flattering, that strangers were betting on his love life after only a month and a half in town. Then Vanille laughed.

“No no, nothing like that,” she said. “There's a rumour that Xion's not Mr. Leonhart's um, biological daughter, and that he's not likely to,” she cast a glance toward the two intrigued little boys hanging off her shorts. “Not like to, you know, donate any genetic materials to the gene pool. Ever.” Cloud nodded his understanding and hopped his face was not as red as the sudden heat on his cheeks suggested.

“Well um,” Cloud scratched his neck in an effort to look casual as he tried to think of a graceful exit. Not being a particularly graceful person, he quickly gave up. “I'm just going to, um, go, now. The boys can stay up until eight thirty, but no cocoa after seven.” Vanille smiled at him.

“I'm sure they'll be little angels,” Vanille said, winking at the two boys. Roxas looked a little dubious, but Sora was nodding which was reassuring because at least Cloud knew those were definitely reactions his boys would have.

He left the house in a hurry, barely remembering his keys, wallet and jacket, and then spent five minutes hyper ventilating in the car. Okay, maybe not quite hyperventilating, but really close. The drive through Destiny Island's streets to the restaurant Tifa had suggested took all of ten minutes, and even then only because for the first time in his life Cloud followed all the speed limits. Whatever dumbass decided it was going to be 30 in a school zone needed to be shot, he thought, but did it all the same.

The restaurant was a tiny little Italian place called Tony's that sat on prime beach front. In Costa Del Sol it would got a solid 800 munny, or gil or whatever. Here, he was assured, beach front property was not considered a good reason to raise the prices. Seeing as everything was beach front, more or less, Cloud understood the reasoning.

Squall was already there, standing outside in the warm August breeze, texting someone rapidly. He stopped when Cloud pulled into the parking lot, giving a stilted little half wave and sliding the cell phone into his pocket. Parking in the nigh empty lot, Cloud stepped out of his car and couldn't help but smile.

Squall looked nice, standing under the soft outdoor lights. He was dressed simply in a white button down and black slacks, much like Cloud. He also looked as awkward as Cloud, but not unhappy. Good, Cloud wasn't sure he could handle pissing off his date in the first five seconds.

“Hey,” he said as he got closer, and Squall gave him a little half grin.

“Hey,” the younger said. “Did you get a chance to talk to Vanille at all before you left?” Cloud nodded, and Squall fell into step with him as they entered the little building. There was only one other couple in the place, despite the fact it was only six o'clock on a Saturday and there were a few cars outside. Squall must have seen his confusion because he gestured to a pair of patio doors on the far wall. “Everyone's outside,” he said. The hostess was a blue haired girl Cloud vaguely recognized, who picked up two menus and smiled prettily at them.

“Would you prefer the patio, or indoors?” she asked and Cloud looked at Squall.

“Bugs?” he asked and Squall shook his head.

“Ocean breeze.”

Cloud considered that, “dead fish smell?” Both Squall and the hostess laughed lightly at that.

“We're far, far upwind from the plant sir,” she said. “I assure you.”

“Outside sounds good to me then,” Cloud said. “Unless you don't want to, of course,” a glance at Squall showed only amusement.

“Outside's good, Aqua,” he addressed and she grinned and lead them out into a more crowded area decorated with fairy lights and candles. A few people nodded to Squall as he passed them, but most minded their own business.

“Someone will be here to get your drinks in a moment,” Aqua the hostess said as she set their places. “Just call out if you need something.”

Cloud took the seat facing the door. Not being a big fan of pasta, it didn't take Cloud long to decide on food, and Squall opted for something Cloud couldn't begin to pronounce. It was pleasant, really. Squall wasn't much of a talker, and Cloud was socially stunted at the best of times, but it was nice. Different from dates with Aerith all those years ago. For one his palms weren't sweating and he wasn't making a valiant effort not to stare at Squall's cleavage.

On account of Squall being a man, and breastless. Also because Cloud was now older and wiser and less horny.

A little less, anyway.

They chatted about the usual things between cups of wine and bites of really delicious alfredo. He was about half way done his plate when it occurred to Cloud he hadn't asked after Xion. Feeling brave, he darted a glance at Squall and forced himself to speak.

“So is Xion with her, uh, mother?” Squall blinked at the question and shook his head.

“No. Ellone um, Ellone died when Xion was born,” he took a sip of his wine. “It's just me and her.” He shrugged, “it works for us. Sometimes she wants to know why she doesn't have a mom or any siblings but uh,” he took what was obviously a nervous bite. “But we're pretty happy.”

Cloud took a nervous bite of his own, noting that Squall hadn't mentioned her babysitter. “So who is she with, then?” Squall poked at his food.

“Her uncle Seifer,” he said finally. Cloud had not been aware Squall had siblings.

“You've got a brother? Any sisters?” At that Squall looked a little surprised.

“Uh, well. Not any more?” he didn't sound confident. “Ellone was my sister,” he clarified for a confused Cloud. “I didn't grow up with her though, I grew up in Balamb as an orphan. Seifer's just my, well. Seifer's complicated.”

The conversation drifted back to safer waters after that, blitzball scores, Sora and Roxas' upcoming school year, the weather, work and everything under the sun. Of course then the time to pay the bill came.

“I can cover my half,” Cloud said and Squall shook his head.

“You only moved in a month ago,” he said, “think of it as a welcome to the town treat, if nothing else.” Cloud nodded even as he struggled not to associate bill-paying with being the man in the relationship. Tifa would have punched him if she were there to read his apparently easily interpreted mind and call him an old fashioned fogey. Or an idiot.

Probably idiot.

Cloud watched Squall call their waiter over, admiring the way the soft lighting threw his cheek bones into relief, the way his eyes picked up on the candle flames. As the waiter wondered off to get the bill Cloud noted a smudge of red sauce on the corner of their brunet's mouth. In a fit of rather unusual forwardness he leaned across the table and gently wiped the sauce away with his thumb.

To his pleasure, Squall did not pull away, and blushed lightly.

He was definitely getting a second date.


End file.
